Each year, my colleague and I develop a ceramics unit that will engage our students and produce a variety of exciting results. Pop art offers plenty of ideas to inspire students, and it also allows us to focus on a variety of forms that incorporate geometric nets and mathematics. A mathematical/geometry net is a 2D representation of a 3D shape. It is a 2D shape that can be folded to form a 3D shape or a solid. It is also the pattern made when the surface of a 3D figure is laid out flat, showing each face of the figure.
Art teachers incorporate humor, play, game creation, and imagination into their lessons. Young students assemble surreal imaginative photomontages, elementary students create pinch-pot monsters and 3D environments to film in stop-motion animation, middle-school students reference pop culture in playful pop art television sculptures, high-school students interpret their social media personas through photo collage, and more.
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